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Aloha from Seattle!

Searching for my next uke, I found UU today. I'm a lifetime musician who can't focus. I play fiddle, mandolin, accordion, banjo, and a few other instruments. I bought my first uke on ebay from Music Guy Mic in 2012. In my present uke search (for a solid koa concert, Hawaii-built, maybe with a little aloha inlay), I learned that MGM died in Oct 2013, and I also found this forum. I have 3 ukes if you count the UBASS, and am teaching my 4yo grandson to play uke. His dad shows great promise, too. I gave the grandson a $40 painted uke when he was a baby, but recently upgraded him to a Makala soprano because we all deserve something that stays in tune for >2 min. I just bought his dad an Islander solid acacia soprano for his birthday next week.

I live near Seattle, play a lot of bluegrass and folk, and go to a lot of festivals. I've taken my Islander soprano on some trips to Hawaii, which have become more frequent because the weather here has been lousy for ~7 months straight! I got to (bluegrass) jam with some locals on Maui last winter and hope to do that again. (I had a mandolin along on that trip.) Aloha has seeped into my brain on these visits. I heard Chad Takatsugi on Hawaiian Air's inflight channel and am learning Kanaka Waiolina (including the fiddle part; that's what hooked me).

Welcome, fellow Pacific Northwest citizen. I am also new here, and I hope you find enjoyment and support from the other musicians here. From your intro, it looks like you're already involved in your local music community. Play on!

Greetings and welcome, glad you joined us. I recently joined a Bluegrass Gospel Jam group. Had a ball with my banjo and reso ukes. I am in the process of stringing up a mandolin and a tenor for ukulele reentrant tuning. I also have a u-bass I need to practice on and who knows what else.

Thanks, Uncle Rod. Had I not committed to another jam, I'd have gone last night. The locks jams sound great. Do you play Hawaiian or pop or what? And at what age does Cousin this or that become Auntie or Uncle this or that in the ohana?

STRUM plays mostly Pops but we do have Hawaiian songs in our songbooks, even in 'olelo Hawai'i

I asked that same question decades ago and was told, "If anyone can call you 'uncle' or 'aunty', you
can use it." Some still want to be called 'cousin' or 'bruddah' or 'sistah' so, if you introduce yourself
with any of those prefixes, it will most likely 'stick' once people get reminded enough times.

Do you ever return to HNL? if so, please stop by the Ala Moana Makai Food Court and meet and greet
the paper lei-making Aunties, and serenade them if you have your uke with you